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Two for Tapas

Oct 24th 2012

The plates may be small but the trend is getting bigger all the time.

That would be tapas-style eateries, whether traditional Spanish, nouveau World or something in-between. Set to open later this week at Downtown at the Gardens in PBG is Red Tapas Bar & Grille (11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., 561/333-7331), a sleek “cross cultural” restaurant to sport a “liquid lava” bartop and servers taking orders with smartphones and iPads.

The menu wanders all over the culinary globe, meaning dishes ranging from such Spanish classics as patatas bravas and garlic shrimp (aka, gambas al ajillo) to tuna ceviche, bourbon spare ribs, red duck and waffle, and teriyaki steak. There’s also a roster of salads, flatbreads, pastas and even a pair of paellas, served in half and full portion.

Over in Delray, the café previously known as Papa’s has changed its name to Papa’s Tapas (259 NE 2ndAve., 561/266-0599) and moved from its Congress Avenue location to Esplanade Plaza a couple blocks north of Atlantic. The dining room of the new, larger space is as boldly colorful as the cuisine, with zebra-striped chairs and vivid blue and red walls.

As for the cuisine, it’s as classically Spanish as a good Rioja, featuring tapas like tortilla Espanola, ham and cheese croquettes, grilled or sautéed chorizo, and ensalada Rusa. There is, of course, paella, plus Latin specialties like arroz con pollo and moro-marinated pork, and just plain other dishes like ribeye with mushroom demiglace and sautéed shrimp with salsa verde.